Nathan Lane: Robin Williams 'Protected Me' From Coming Out as Gay on 'Oprah' in 1996 Because ...

[sl8]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/nathan-lane-robin-williams-protected-coming-out-gay-1235565177/

Nathan Lane: Robin Williams ‘Protected Me’ From Coming Out as Gay on ‘Oprah’ in 1996 Because ‘He Was a Saint’’

By Zack Sharf
Mar 27, 2023 7:51am PT

Nathan Lane revealed on “Sunday Today” that Robin Williams once protected him from coming out as gay against his will on national television. The year was 1996 and Lane and Williams were on their press tour for Mike Nichols’ “The Birdcage,” in which they play a gay couple trying to marry off their son to a conservative couple’s daughter. Lane was nervous about doing an interview on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as “The Birdcage” was one of his first major film roles, and he did not want to come out publicly as gay at the time.

“I was not prepared at all for that,” Lane said about openly discussing his sexuality at the time. “And I certainly wasn’t ready to go from table-to-table and tell them all I was gay. I just wanted to talk about finally [getting] a big part in a movie, and I didn’t want to make it about my sexuality.”

Of course, Lane knew that playing a gay character in the film would make discussing his sexuality in real life “sort of unavoidable,” but he still wasn’t ready to do so.

“I don’t think Oprah was trying to out me, but I said to Robin beforehand, ‘I’m not prepared. I’m so scared of going out there and talking to Oprah. I’m not prepared to discuss that I’m gay on national television. I’m not ready,’” Lane said. “He said, ‘Oh, it’s alright, don’t worry about — we don’t have to talk about it. We won’t talk about it.'”

[...]

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I can understand Nathan Lane's apprehension/fear of going on Oprah.

At one point, her show became predicated on "scoops". She probably thought of the "scoops" as harmless and maybe liberating. And it made her show "must see" for many viewers. I found the entire enterprise to be exploitative.

[jaxexpat]

2. Let me see, how do I go about becoming incredibly successful........

while maintaining a charade of addictive banality on the set of America's TeeVee? Oh, I have it. Exploitation of the willing that entertains the greedy hunger in the lives of the unfulfilled. It's a win/Winfrey situation.

[Better Days Ahoy]

3. Click the link provided for the key point of the post

Robin Williams was a mensch.
That the headline, folks.
Let's K&R to honor Robin Williams's character.

[plimsoll]

5. I thought that was clear,

what wasn't clear was how afraid Lane was about the problems being outed would pose for him personally and professionally. A fear Robin heard, respected and did what he was able to do to insure didn't come about.

That was nearly 30 years ago folks, and I hate to say it but times were different. I think Nathan Lane was right to be afraid, we can say what we want but I think that would have ended his career.

So yeah, good on ya Robbin.

[Better Days Ahoy]

6. Yup, you'd think, but yet it digressed into Oprah stuff

Gotta respect Robin Williams for his move.
We lost this kind soul too soon.
I appreciate your reply!

[tanyev]

4. And if you ever saw Robin Williams on a talk show, you know there was no one more capable

of completely diverting the host from whatever they wanted to talk about.

[Better Days Ahoy]

7. Would have loved to see Robin take on Ellen DeGeneres

Just saying. And I'm a Friend of Ellen, so to speak.
She can be a real jerk.